Love me Fully
by hsds
Summary: Everyone thinks that Serena has it all. But, all Serena wants is love. All her life she has craved for people to see her for who she really is. Dan is the first to give her what she needs.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Love me fully

Pairing: Dan/Serena

Summary: Everyone thinks that Serena has it all. But, all Serena wants is love. All her life she has craved for people to see her for who she really is.

Tall, blonde, and perfect; that's the image everyone had of Serena Van Der Woodsen. It's the same image that wrapped around Serena's throat like a boa constrictor. No matter what, she would never live up to that image. Even her best friend resented her. Granted, she hadn't been a very good friend to her in the past year. Serena still regretted how she had left Blair behind. One of these days, she would tell her the real reason for her departure. Serena had felt like she was drowning until Dan had come into her life. At first, he only saw the image. The Serena in his fantasies, but slowly they were getting to know each other. Dan was the first person willing to get beyond the surface. With him she was just Serena. She felt like she could be herself. She could let her guard down; let the façade slip. Perfection was a difficult thing to live up to. Everyone expected things to come easy to her. Serena knew that she'd been lucky in life, but she also craved things that her friends took for granted; like love. Her mother was indifferent at best and her father well he was virtually nonexistent. She had seen him 5 times in the last five years. She couldn't even remember what it was like to have him around. The sound o f her mother calling he

"Serena, your father is on the phone," said Lily.

Serena took the phone her phone and said, "hey dad."

"Hey, sweetie. How are you?"

"Fine," she said in a clipped manner.

"Are you still mad about my missing your birthday."

"Not birthday. Birthdays."

"Well, I have to work. You're not going to try and make me feel guilty about that are you?

"No, Daddy."

"Anyways, I sent you a little something, darling."

"Thanks," she said.

Serena had gotten used to his _little somethings_. They were mostly bribes to make him feel better. She was just so apathetic about her father. It's almost like she didn't have one.

Beautiful, amazing, and precious; that's how he made her feel. His arms wrapped around her shoulders pushing Serena into his chest as he captured her lips with his. She closed her eyes and reveled in this feeling; this new found joy. Serena was no virgin, but Dan made her feel like one. Everything with him was so new; a beautiful discovery. Than she hears that name and it drags her from her reveree.

"No, Serena. Its Serena," she says.

"No, no, no. I mean she's here. Vanessa is here."

Serena looks up and sees the source of her greatest insecurity standing over them with that smug look on her face.

"Oh hey," say Vanessa.

Serena watches them as Dan mutters something. You could cut the awkwardness with a knife. All she wanted to do was run away and drag Dan with her. During the awkward exchange it becomes clear that Vanessa more than just his best friend. She's his confidant. A part of her heart breaks because she'd hope to be that for him. It hits her once again that she's on the outside looking in. Serena was often the center of attention, but somehow people failed to see her. She was an object of envy and desire, but never the object of affection. Boys desired her, but they never wanted to know her or for her to know them. She was the quintessential one night stand.

She stood up and put some cash on the table and said, "I have to go."

Dan looked at Vanessa and raced after his girlfriend.

"Serena wait," he yelled as he attempted to catch up to her.

"What?" she said as she turned to face him. Her eyes were shining, the tears threatening to spill over.

"Hey, whats with the tears?"

"It's nothing," she said as she held her head up high.

"Don't do that. Don't close your self off like that."

"Look dan, its obvious that what we're doing here its not what you want. So, just go to her. Its obvious that she's who you want and not me."

He stood there baffled wondering where this about face had come from. Dan reached for her hand and said, "No, that's not true."

"People don't just stop loving each other."

"It wasn't love. Yes, I know Vanessa. But, she was fantasy."

"So, was I?"

"No, you're more than that."

"How do you know? Maybe I'm just this thing you think you want."

"I don't understand what's going on with you, but its obviously not about me and Vanessa. What's going on, Serena?"

Serena bit her lip and let the tears flow down her cheeks as she debated telling Dan the truth.

"I'm not what you want. I'm not that girl."

"What do you mean?"

"You just think you want me, but tomorrow you're going to wake up and realize it's a mistake and that all I'm good for is fun."

"Hey, hey. Don't say that. First of all, its not true. What asshole made you feel like this? Was it Nate? I'm gonna kill the bastard!"

"Its not him. Its just the way things are. Its my reality."

"Come here," dan said as he wrapped his arms around her. He was beginning to realize exactly how fragile Serena's self-image was. He'd thought that her life was so grand and now he could see that someone had convinced this girl that she was not worthy of love.

Serena cried into his shoulder in the middle of a busy New York city street.

"Why were you crying all over Cabbage Patch?" asked Blair.

Serena fiddled with her dress and said, "It was nothing."

"S, stop it. I know something is bugging you. You've been acting weird for awhile now."

"You wouldn't understand B. We're just different. I just can't explain it."

"But , you can explain it to Dan?" asked Blair. She had a stricken look on her face and Serena once again felt like a horrible friend.

"B don't this. Don't make me feel bad about my issues and the fact that I cried on my boyfriend's shoulder."

"Issues? You don't have issues. You're Serena Van Der Woodsen. You don't have issues. You're gorgeous and everyone loves you."

"Everyone accept for my father. You wouldn't understand at least you know yours."

"When he isn't off with that Roman guy."

"I'm sorry about the stuff with your dad."

"Hey, we're not talking about me. Today is all about you, S."

"I don't want to talk about. I'm starving lets get something to eat."


	2. Chapter 2

Love me Fully Chapter 2: Meltdown in Manhattan

**Author's note:** I wanted to thank everyone for the review. I am taking some artistic license with Serena. On the show, we often get vulnerable Blair. So, this is my version of vulnerable Serena.

"Dan! You have a visitor," said Rufus.

"I'm coming. Who is it?"

"I have no idea"

Dan came out of his room with a pencil in his ear. He looked over at Blair in shock.

"Blair? What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," she said before removing a pair of suede gloves from her dainty fingers.

"Really? About what exactly?"

"Serena."

"My room is over here," Dan said.

Blair followed him into the small room that functioned as his haven. She looked around and tried to hide the look of disgust on her face.

"So, talk" Dan said.

"I'm worried about her. She is doing this weird melancholy thing that is not like her."

"Well, you would know."

"Do you have any idea what's wrong with her?"

"It's not really my place to tell you. If she wanted to tell you, she would have. I don't want to betray her trust."

Blair grabbed him by the collar of his short and slammed him against the wall, "My best friend is in pain and you know why. Now tell me before I really hurt you."

Dan grabbed her by her wrists and said, "First no one shoves me and especially not in my own house. Second, I'm not going to tell you. I suggest you stop with your bizarre competition with Serena and actually speak to her."

Blair looked at him with more than mild annoyance.

"I can't believe I came to Brooklyn for this, ugh."

Dan watched her walk away and ran his hand through his hair.

Serena was sprawled on the couch when someone started knocking very loudly. She got up and answered the door and found a very angry Blair standing before her.

"So, you confide in cabbage patch and not me?" roared Blair.

"What are you talking about?" Serena replied.

"I heard about your little tear fest in the middle of the street."

Serena rolled her eyes, "Gossip Girl."

"The one and only," muttered Blair.

"It was nothing really."

"Do I look vapid?"

"That's my territory, remember."

Blair eyed her friend curiously. Something was going on with her. Serena was never one for self-pity especially in front of her. Blair didn't like to think much about why Serena had left, but apparently she had changed a lot more than her bad drinking habit. She let her very expensive bag drop to the floor and enveloped Serena in a very uncharacteristic hug. Serena held on to Blair tightly before recovering her poise.

"Things have been a little strange lately."

"Yeah, but we're fine now," replied Blair.

"I wasn't talking about us."

"So, spill."

"Don't worry. Its nothing I can't handle."

Blair didn't understand what was going on with her friend, but she hated that she was unwilling to come to her for comfort. She knew that despite everything that Serena would drop everything to be by her side when things got rough.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-Love me fully

Serena stood in the middle of Bergdorf's trying to decide on a dress for her birthday, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Blair came out of the dressing room in a glittery green dress that emphasized her best features.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Blair as she twirled in place.

"It looks great."

"So, have you found anything yet?"

"No."

"Get off your ass, S. It's time to find you a sparkling party dress. Its not everyday that you turn 17."

"You're right, B. I just can't seem to get in the mood for it," replied Serena.

Blair grabbed her by the hand and led her into a different section of the department store. She started grabbing dresses from various racks before pushing her towards the dressing room to try on the clothes. Serena started to just get into it when she tried on the third dress.

"Well," asked Serena as she did little twirl.

"hmm," replied Blair while scrunching her nose.

"Too campy?"

"Definitely. Next dress, S."

Serena tried on two more before settling on one that passed the Serena/Blair stamp of approval. They spent the rest of the afternoon choosing all the right accessories. By lunch Serena was starting to feel a little more like herself. The dark cloud that seemed to be hovering over her was finally starting to lift.

"You're smiling again, S" Blair said.

"I have been sort of out of it," replied Serena.

"What's going?"

"It's just been a weird year."

Serena played with her soup before looking up at her friend and saying, "My dad's not coming tonight."

"Oh sweetie. Forget him. You're dad's a terd."

"Blair!"

"I'm sorry, I know he's your dad. But, he's still a terd."

Dan was fixing his tie when Vanessa peaked her head through his window.

"Hey," she shouted.

"Ugh, you really need to stop with the window things. I'm not Dawson and you are not a Joey."

"But's our thing," said Vanessa.

"No, its your thing."

Vanessa sprawled herself on Dan's bed and said, "So, what's with the get-up?"

"Its Serena's birthday party."

"Oh, I see."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"I know you V. That was not a nothing I heard in your tone. You've been really judgmental about Serena since you got back."

"No, I've been perfectly nice, Dan."

"No, you've been polite yet judgemental. Trust me I know judgy when I hear it. I've practically got it down to an art."

"I'm trying, I just. I don't like her."

"Finally, you speak the truth. I don't know what you have against her, but you're gonna have to figure out a way to deal cause she's my girlfriend and you're my friend and trust me you don't wanna choose."

"Its obvious you've already chosen, Humphrey," Vanessa said before climbing back down the fire escape.

Dan watched her walk away and shook his head. He had tried to keep his friendship afloat, but he felt like he was anchoring a ship all by himself. She wanted him to choose between her and Serena and that wasn't something he was willing to do. He once thought he loved her, but he knew it was an infatuation. It was an infatuation based on their close friendship. But, he was not going to risk his relationship with Serena in order to appease Vanessa's ego. He grabbed Serena's present and went to go pick her up.

"Hurry up, Serena. It's almost time to go," said Lily.

"I'll be out in a sec, mom."

Lily took another look at the time and wondered how daughter would cope with the little surprise that she'd arranged for tonight. Lily heard a soft tap at the door and went to answer.

"Hello, Dan."

"Hi, Mrs. Van Der Woodsen."

"Call me Lily."

Dan smiled up at her awkwardly and said, "Okay. Is Serena ready?"

"Give her a few more minutes."

Dan sat on the couch in the middle of the hotel room. He wasn't quite sure what to say to Lily. All of their previous encounters had been heated, but since the cotillion things had definitely changed. He was surprised at how nice she'd been. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Lily was still being nice. Dating Serena had certainly altered his view of the Upper East Side. He still thought it was stuffy and far too concerned with appearance, but he'd realized that they had almost as many issues as regular people did. When he heard the click of high heels on the wood floor he turned to see Serena standing before him like a vision. She was wearing a short off-white dress that accentuated her curves in all the right places. She was nothing short of a vision.

"You look absolutely amazing," Dan said as she threw herself into his arms.

"Thank you,"she whispered.

"Happy Birthday, Serena."

"Ooh a present."

"Oh no you don't. This is for later."

"You're no fun," pouted Serena.

"Come on, pretty girl," he said as he wrapped his arm around her and followed Lily and Eric out of the hotel room.

Dan looked around at the ice-sculpture and wondered exactly what he was doing here. He had never been to an event this swanky in his entire life. Even the finger food looked to expensive to eat. As much as he loved being with Serena this part of her life intimidated him. He watched her as she greeted people of all ages and accepted their gifts with grace. Sometimes he liked to watch her from a distance and admire this girl. He could hardly believe that she was with him. It warmed him when she would steal glance and send a smile his way. Serena waved him over and he knew it was time to be by her side again.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Good, but what were you doing all the way back there?"

"I just wanted to give you some time with your guests."

"I don't need time with them. I want to spend it with you too"

He placed a kiss on her cheek and said, "So do I?"

A shiver went down her spine as she read the look in his eyes. It was the look that said he just wanted to spend hours discovering her in all the right places. Ever since Christmas, the relationship had only intensified. Serena had been with other boys before, but with them it was simple carnal lust. Being Dan was like being carried on to a different plane. She shivered with sweet anticipation of being with him again. He was sweet and attentive lover. With Dan she felt cherished and loved.

"Let's go," whispered Serena.

"What about your guests?"

"Screw them"

Dan laughed a hearty laugh and followed Serena as she led him down the long corridor to an empty room that Blair's mother only used when she had business meetings. Serena locked the door and started slipping Dan's jacket from his shoulders as he held tightly to her waist. She kissed him as he rubbed her back gently and guided them towards the couch.

"You smell so good," whispered Dan.

"Thanks. You look so hot in that suit. All I've wanted to do is get you out of it," she confessed.

"Really?"asked Dan as he ran his finger along her neck while his other hand found the zipper to her dress and slowly undid it.

"Uh huh."

He slid his hand inside her dress and caressed her bare back.

"You're not wearing a bra?"

"Nope. I don't need one for this dress."

"You're gorgeous," he whispered.

"Shut up and kiss me," Serena demanded as she hooked her arms around his shoulders.

He kissed the spot at the base of her neck that drove her crazy as he continued to run his palm across her naked back. Serena pushed him down on the couch, letting her dress fall to floor before she straddled him. He kissed her feverishly. The scent of her nearly drove him over the edge. Serena loved to look at him when he kissed her. The way he looked at her was nearly as thrilling as the feel of his skin. He had this intense way of looking at her when they were like this that made her feel like she could do anything.

She lifted her head and said, "you have too many clothes on."

Serena removed his tie and threw it on top of her dress. She unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders. She kissed along his chest until she could hear him gasping breath. Dan ran his fingers through her long hair as she slowly worked her way down to his pants. He wanted her right than and there, but he had to patient. One thing he'd learnt from Serena was that sex was never any good when it was rushed. Serena slid his pants off and let it join the rest of the clothes on the floor.

Dan kissed along her neck and fondled one perk breast with one hand and used the other to flip her over so that he was looking down at her.

"So, its going to be that way," she laughed.

"It is your birthday after all."

Dan kissed along her navel and slid her panties off throwing them to the side. He kissed along her inner thigh. Serena wriggled, as he got closer to his destination.

The anticipation was killing her. They'd long ago surpassed their roles as student and teacher. He'd quickly graduated from virgin boyfriend to skillfull lover. She laid her head back on the cushions as he did unspeakable things with his tongue.

"I can't take it anymore, Dan."

"Alright."

He moved slowly up her body and entered in one swift motion. Serena closed her eyes and wrapped her legs around his waist. Dan looked right at her as he moving inside her. She met him thrust for thrust. Her breath caught in her throat as he swept her hair from her face and whispered, "I love you," before collapsing on top of her.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: This is a continuation of the last chapter. It probably should have been part of the earlier chapter, but I wasn't inspired at the time. So, here's a little fluff to go with last chapter's smut… Chapter 4: LMF

Dan and Serena made their way to the centre of activity a little under an hour after they'd first disappeared. Lily looked at them suspiciously before plastering on a smile and playing the role of the dutiful mother.

"Where have you two been?"asked Lily.

Serena glanced at Dan and said, "Around."

"I see. I have a little surprise for you, Serena. " replied Lily.

"A surprise? I'm not sure I like the sounds of this," Serena replied reluctantly.

Lily wrapped an arm around her daughter and said, "trust me, you'll love it."

Serena and Dan followed Lily through the large crowd of people to an older gentleman dressed in a three-piece suit. He looked to be anywhere between 60 and 70.

"Is that your grandfather," he whispered into her ear.

"No, that's my dad" she replied with tears in her eyes.

Dan watched her carefully as she slowly walked into the older man's arms. Dan couldn't get over the scene. He had never seen her look so vulnerable. He also couldn't get over exactly how old her father was. He stood back as father and daughter bonded. Dan knew that she needed to bask in this moment.

Two hours later, Dan was still standing near the buffet table picking at some strange-looking food. Serena was in the middle of the room still basking the glow of all this attention. This feeling was all too familiar to him, but for once it didn't bother him. He didn't mind being on the outside looking inside because he knew that after the party she'd be on his arm and not the arm of a random rich boy.

"hey there," whispered Serena as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Hey. You move fast."

"I'm stealth," she said as she popped a grape in her mouth.

"So, are you having fun?

"Yeah. I didn't think I would."

"I'm glad."

"You're bored, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say bored exactly. Enjoying my stagnation would be a more apt description."

"Aww my poor baby. You know you can go if you don't wanna stay." she said as she placed her chin on his shoulder.

He turned to face her and said, "I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry about me. I'll mingle with you or just watch you being you. I'm fine."

"Come with me," she said as she pulled him to the centre of her group of friends.

Things were changing for Dan Humphrey. It wasn't a changed he feared, but one that he embraced. He wasn't one for glitz or glamour. He preferred the simple things above all, but if it meant being with glorious, beautiful girl than for him it was all worth it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long delay. The next chapter should be up in a few days. Its picks up where this one leaves off ;)

**Chapter 5: Dan versus Dad**

Dan nervously adjusted his tie before gently knocking on the hotel door. Tonight was definitely a big deal. It was the official impress the Dad night. He had met Serena's father a week earlier at her birthday party, but this was something formal prearranged by the old-geezer himself. Dan wanted to impress him not for himself, but for her. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable by having his father hate him along with everyone else in her world. Normally, he couldn't care less what a bunch of useless rich people thought of him, but he'd do absolutely anything for this girl. If she asked him to walk on water, Dan would try his best to do just that. He'd idolized her from afar, but in a few short months he had truly fallen for the real Serena. She was better and more awesome than he could have ever imagined. At first, the reality of being in her orbit scared him. She was like this unattainable object to be admired from afar, but never to be touched. He was afraid that she would burn him and everything about her world overwhelmed him, including her past. But, three months later it seemed worth the risk. The simple beauty of her laugh alone made his heart swell to heights he never thought he'd reach.

Dan shuffled as he waited for the door to open. He was greeted by the tall imposing figure of her father. He gestured for Dan to enter.

"Come in Daniel," said Mr. Van Der Woodsen.

"I prefer Dan."

The older man just gave him a steely glance in response.

"So, do you live in the city? I'm a Brooklyn man myself. Nice tie. Where'd you get it? Its got this silvery thing going on that's pretty darn cool," blathered Dan.

He had gone straight into babble mode, which was his tendency when he was nervous. Dan looked across the room at Serena who was sending him a silent signal to stop. He knew it must be bad, if Serena had resorted to the "look," so he attempted to act normal. He let himself be led by Serena towards the living room. It still took him a lot of effort to adjust to the fact that their hotel room was bigger than his dad's entire loft. He sat across from Mr. Van der Woodsen trying not to make eye contact with him because he was pretty sure the man hated his guts.

"So, Dan is it?"

"Yes, its Dan."

"I assume you attend St. Jude's?"asked Mr. Van Der Woodsen.

"Yes sir, I do."

"And where exactly do you see this thing with my daughter going?"

Dan took a sip of his club soda and glanced uncomfortably at Serena who looked like she wanted to crawl in a whole and die.

"I-I-um, I don't know sir."

"You don't know? That's not a very promising again you don't look like a very promising young man," he retorted.

"How dare you? Who the hell do you think you are"

"I'm your father young lady and you should no better than to speak to me that way!"

"Ha! What kind of father sees his daughter twice in four years."

"The busy kind," Mr. Van der Woodsen said in response.

"No the selfish kind," Serena snapped.

She looked over at Dan and said, "let's go."

"Not yet," Dan replied.

Dan looked at the imposing figure sitting before him and it irked him that he couldn't even bother spending time with Serena. How could anyone want to ignore someone like her. It was beyond his understanding and it made him mad as hell.

"I may not come from money, but I do know one thing. I have more promise in my pinkie than you will ever have. No amount of money could keep me from my own child. The fact that amassing your millions means more to you says a lot about how much Serena has had to endure and it makes me love her even more than I already do. If you think your looking down on me is going to change anything than you're dead wrong. So, you can take your judgemental attitude and stick up your ass!"Dan said before following Serena out of the hotel suite.

Later that evening, Serena and Dan were sitting on his bed in Brooklyn rehashing the events of the evening. He felt like he needed to do something more than just nod his head, but he didn't know what else to say. Her dad was an ass and nothing he could say would change that.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'll be okay. I just thought everything would be different this time."

Dan wrapped his arm around her and said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Okay, if you're sure. But, if you change your mind I'm all ears."

"Thanks, sweetie" Serena said as she looked up to him and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"That's all I get a cheek-kiss? I feel so hurt, so unloved," Dan said as he dramatically placed his hand on his chest.

Serena smiled and said, "Aww did I hurt your feelings?"

"Just a little bit," he replied as he made a little gesture with his fingers.

Serena leaned over him and kissed him with gentle passion. Dan grabbed the back of her head and sucked on her bottom lip till she parted her lips for him. Soon their mouths were feuding for control. Dan ran his hands across her back until they reached the fly of her dress. He slowly slid the zipper down as the kiss deepened. Serena let out a little sigh when she felt his hands on her flesh. All she wanted at that moment was for him to be inside of her. She couldn't get enough of him. She'd never felt so connected to anyone else she'd ever been with. It was like the love she felt for him made her lust after him even more; never able to have enough of him.

Dan slid the dress off of her and kissed the base of her neck, a spot he knew drove her slightly insane.

"Don't go home," he whispered.

"I have to. Plus, I don't think it would go over well with your dad,"

"Please don't talk about my dad when we're about to have sex," he said before capturing her lips with his own.


	6. Chapter 6

Dan had first started to notice the change in her behaviour shortly after Spring Break. She didn't smile as naturally as she once did. It was as though something was weighing on her mind and he wanted to know what it was. Serena had brought so much joy into his life that all he wanted to do was to give her a little of what she'd given him. She had once been a dream; a fantasy that made his mostly friendless life seems a little less dull. Most guys had male friends to waste away the hours with. Growing up, he never really had any guy friends. There were acquaintances, but mostly his interaction with the same sex was an exercise in feeling not quite man enough. With the exception of his father, he'd spent far too much time with the fairer sex. His best friend was a girl as were his mother and sister. A part of him yearned to be popular and to have lots of buddies. It had been the source of his loneliness for so long that he got used to it. Serena had been a bright patch of energy. She dragged him from his black and white world to her Technicolor one, but lately she was different. He attempted to get her to open up to him, but she would smile and change the subject. Dan ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Ugh," he muttered to himself.

"That's not a good sign," Jenny said from the doorway.

Dan glared at his baby sister and said, "Why are you always here."

"Punishment. Apparently, I'm not allowed to have any friends. So, its your job to entertain me," she said as she plopped herself on his bed.

Sometimes he didn't understand his little sister. Why she wanted to be friends with a bunch of snobs like Blair and her minions, he didn't know. Yes, she was Serena's best friend, but he had a low tolerance for her manipulations.

"So, spill Dan. What's going on?"

"Its nothing. I'm just worried about Serena."

"Then, go talk to her."

"I've tried. She keeps avoiding the subject."

Jenny reached up and grabbed Cedric from the shelf. She swung the doll in front of Dan and said, "Ask Cedric. Maybe he has some advice for you. Do you have advice for Dan Cedric?"

"Stop being a goof, Jen."

"Stop being a moron and go talk to her."

Dan knew that she was right, but he was just impatient. He obviously wasn't getting any studying done. So, he texted Serena and told her that he was on the way to see her.

Serena was sitting at the bar at the Palace Hotel looking not to happy to see the brunette in front of her. The other girl threw her head back and smiled deviously at Serena.

"It's so nice to see you, S."

"Only my friends call me that," replied Serena. She didn't even try to mask the look of disgust upon her face.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me. After all, we have so much in common," the girl said as she pushed a small pouch towards Serena.

Serena pushed it back and said, "That's not who I am anymore, Catherine."

Catherine laughed and pushed the pouch back towards her. The fact that Serena Van Der Woodsen was refusing to do drugs was laughable to her. This was the girl known for trying anything and anyone. She was just playing one of her twisted games.

"I'm serious, Cath. I don't do that shit anymore. You asked me to come see you. I'm here. What do you want?"

"I believe we have some unfinished business."

"No, we don't. It was one night. A mistake and that's all it would ever be."

"Come on, give us a chance. That night was amazing."

Serena felt cold shivers go down her spine at the memory of what she'd done with Catherine that night. It was a couple days after the incident with Nate and she was high on a cocktail of cocaine and alcohol. She didn't particularly like women, but that night she was too out of it too care either way. The next day, she left town and convinced her mother to enrol her in boarding school. "I was coked out of my mind that night and you took advantage of me. Anyways, a lot of things have changed. I'm with someone now."

"Who is he? Tell me all about him."

Serena shook her and said, "No. I'm not telling you anything. I have to go."

"One drink, S."

"No."

Serena took out a few bills and dropped them at the bar before leaving the hotel bar and quickly making it up to her suite. She just wanted Catherine to go away. The girl reminded her of a part o her that she wanted buried. She didn't want Dan to ever now about exactly how messed up she was. Drugs and Alcohol were a normal part of her life as was wild sex. But, before Catherine she'd never been with a girl before and a part of her knew that she'd enjoyed it and that scared her more than anything. When she got to the suite Dan was waiting for her with a worried expression on his face.

"Hey,"she said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Have you been drinking?"

"I had a drink with a friend," she replied and tried to distract him by feathering his face with kisses. Seeing him always made her feel so much better.

"Oh, was it Blair?"

"No, just an old friend."

"Oh,"he replied as he tried to disentangle himself from her embrace.

"What's wrong, Dan?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. You've been acting weird for weeks now and you're still evading my questions. Who were you with tonight."

"Are you jealous? You don't need to be Dan."

"Just tell me," Dan demanded as he paced. He was beginning to wonder if there was someone else. He didn't know if he could trust her. She wasn't opening up to him and he certainly wasn't sure what was going on.

"There's nothing to tell, Dan."

Dan grabbed her arm and drew her to him. He cupped her face in his hands and with his eyes pleaded with her to just tell him what was going.

"I don't know what you're afraid o, but it will be okay. I will make it okay," he said.

Serena started to tear up. She hated lying to Dan, but she was just so afraid of him finding out about Catherine.

"Dan there's a lot you don't want to know about me. I promise you if its something really big I'll tell you. Just trust me."

Dan rested his forehead on hers and said, "I do." What he wanted to say was _why don't you trust me?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Serena just wanted Catherine to go away, but the girl didn't understand the meaning of No. She didn't understand why Catherine had to come back into her life now. Things were going so great with Dan. The last thing she needed was for someone to ruin their happiness, by revealing a side of her character that she wanted to remain in the past. No one knew exactly how wild she had been; not even Blair. Blair would often bail her out when she was drunk. Serena had a reputation for dating a lot of guys, but she'd never been referred to as a slut. Somehow she had kept a lot of what she'd really done hidden way. The drugs and the sex had all been a means to escape; to make herself numb. It was a past that she was ashamed of. Catherine was the only person who knew the truth about her past. What she did with Catherine that night made her feel both ashamed and uncomfortable. She'd crossed a boundary that she'd never imagined that she'd cross. A part of her knew that Catherine had feelings for her, but by allowing what happened to occur she had opened Pandora's box. Catherine could be fun, but she was also very fragile and clingy. Serena should have known better than to have sex with her, but she was completely loaded. She hated lying to Dan. She didn't want him to know. If he knew than he'd be gone. Serena wasn't sure if she could handle losing him. He meant the world to her. He made her feel like she was worth something. Lily poked her head through the door and said, "Can I come in?"

"Sure. What's up mom?"

Lily sat down on the bed next to her daughter and said, "I just wanted to check up on you. You seem a little down, lately."

Serena wanted to roll her eyes. It wasn't like her mother to even care where she was or whom she was with. This new supermom act was starting to wear thin. "I'm surprised you even noticed."

"Ouch. I probably had that one coming. I know I haven't been the most attentive mother in the past, but things are different now. I'm different. Something is bothering you and I don't know what it is, but if you want to talk I'm here," Lily replied. She hugged her daughter and left the room.

Serena opened her cell to find another message from Catherine. She deleted the message and called Dan. "Hey, there" she said.

"Hey. How are you doing?"

"Good. I miss you."

"I miss you too," Dan replied as he put a book in his bag. "I'm on my way to the library to study for midterms. You wanna meet me there?"

"Sure. You wanna go for coffee first?" she said.

"Do you want me to come by the Palace?"

"No, I'll meet you at V's café."

Serena was in a good mood as she left the hotel to meet Dan, but her mood was destroyed by the presence of Catherine. She wasn't alone. She'd brought a guy who wore a maniacal expression on his face. "You didn't think you'd get rid of me so easily, "Catherine chided.

Serena gritted her teeth and asked, "What's he doing here?"

"I thought you could use a little more convincing."

Catherine wrapped her arm around the guy. He was a little taller than Serena with dark hair and piercing green eyes. A lump formed in Serena's throat. She could hardly breathe. It was like her world was crumbling around her. All she wanted was for this to go away, but now they had brought Kevin into this as well. "What, what are you doing here?"

He slipped out of Catherine's arms and walked up to Serena in a panther-like motion. He ran his thumb along her cheek and said, "Did you miss me baby?" Serena pushed his hand away in disgust, but she was caught. The jig was up. For the past few months she had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it looked like her worst nightmare had come true.

"So, you're off to see Humphrey?" Kevin asked.

Serena looked at him with shock. "How do you know his name?" He pulled out his cell phone and said, "Gossip Girl. You should know better than to think anything in your life is a secret, S."

"So, what's it going to be S? We wouldn't want all of your friends and family to know the truth now would we?"

Serena eyed them nervously. She didn't know what to do. These two had so much on her. So, much that she didn't want revealed. It could cost her everything she had. The love of Blair, her mother's respect and above all, Dan. She closed her eyes tightly and reluctantly left with Kevin and Catherine.

Vanessa looked over at Dan and shook her head. She couldn't understand the hold that Serena had over him. She had always been there, lingering in the shadows. When she'd come back to Manhattan the first thing she wanted to do was make things right with Dan. She had planned to confess her feelings for him and than they'd start dating, but in the year that she'd been gone his obsession with Serena had increased threefold. To make it worse, when she got back they were dating. It was like her worst nightmare realized. The day that Dan had said he loved her, she freaked. It was everything she wanted and feared at the same time. Vanessa had her chance and blown it. No matter what happened she knew she'd always love him, but he didn't want her. She hated seeing him sitting there waiting for her. She went up to his table and gave him a complementary bagel. "Here. You look like you could use this."

Dan looked up at her and said, "Thanks V."

"Maybe you should go home. I don't think she's gonna show."

He shook his head and said, "No. She'll come. She promised. Serena doesn't flake on her promises."

Vanessa rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily.

Vanessa crossed her arms across her chest and said, "We're talking about Serena Van Der Woodsen here. She's the definition of a flake. It was only a matter of time before she showed her true colors."

"Stop it. You don't know her. I don't know what your deal with her is, but you've never given her a chance."

"No, I'm not gonna stop. She's got you all tied up in knots. Is she really worth it?"

Dan looked at her with a coldness that she'd never seen before and quietly packed up his stuff. "I am not having this conversation with you."

He walked out of the café without glancing back at her and headed uptown towards the Palace Hotel. He was worried about Serena. She hadn't been herself lately and it wasn't like her to bail on him like that. He sat outside the suite and leaned his head against the wall for support. He texted her a bunch of times. He didn't know where she could be, but it couldn't be good. The hours ticked by and he was exhausted. His eyelids felt heavy and before he knew it, he'd dozed off. He awoke a few hours later to see her getting off the elevator with an unfamiliar figure supporting her. Dan quickly got to his feet.

"Serena?"

"Dan, You are Dan. Daniel. Dan the man," she slurred.

Dan could see that she was drunk and that troubled him almost as much as the unfamiliar person who was carrying her drunk body home. "Who are you? And why did you let this happen to her?"

"I'm Catherine. She was just having a little fun."

"You call this having fun. She's so drunk she can't even walk. Get the hell out of here. I've got it from here."

Catherine smiled at him and said, "If you say so."

She gave him a look that sent shivers down his spine. Dan didn't know who this girl was but he knew that he didn't like her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:** Okay, so this story is wrapping up. There are a couple of chapters left. I'd say this story is going to be about 10 to 12 chapters long.

Chapter 8

Dan dug in Serena's purse for her keys and gently slid it through the slot. He picked her up gently and carried her through to her room. He placed her on the bed and slipped off her shoes. He tried to sit her up, but she just fell back on the bed. Dan sat beside her in frustration. He'd seen Serena drunk before, but never like this. She was so lifeless. It felt like everything that made her Serena had been sucked from her. He pulled back the covers and tucked her in. He brushed a stray hair from her face and said, "I love you."

"I love you, Dan. I don't love Catherine. I'm so sorry. It was just one night," she muttered before closing her eyes.

Dan looked at her in shock? Who was this Catherine and what exactly happened? He looked over at her and sighed softly. He texted his father and sat in the chair. He got up every hour or so to see if she was okay. Dan needed answers, but above all else he was worried about her. This was not the girl that he knew. He was not a fool. Dan knew that Serena had a colourful past. She dated a lot of guys and was known for being the life of the party. Whatever was going on was big. Dan felt like she was slipping through his fingers and that was something he wasn't prepared to let happen. He got up and sat on the bed beside her. He looked at her and felt a tightening in his heart. He couldn't lose her. She meant the world to him. Serena was no longer just a dream, but she was his future. He couldn't imagine life without her. Her radiant smile and the way she listened to him when he was ranting about something. She'd become his best friend and his confidante. He hated every moment that she pulled away. He felt like she was drifting away from him just out of reach.

He reached for her, gliding his hands over her body. He laid his head on her hip and slowly drifted off to sleep. Serena opened her eyes to find Dan sleeping next to her, his head on her hip. "How long has he been there?" she thought to herself. She sat up and shook him awake.

"Dan, Dan. Get up."

He rubbed his eyes and smiled at her softly. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I got worried when you didn't show up so I came here. Some girl helped you off the elevator. You were drunk. Who was she?"

She looked at him not knowing what to say. Her stomach was in knots and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She knew she couldn't keep this up, but he couldn't find out.

"Ugh, an old friend."

"Was she the one you wouldn't tell me about?"

"Yes, its her." Serena refused to tell him about Kevin as well.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because she's not important. We used to be friends, but we're not anymore and she just had some trouble accepting that."

Dan looked at her with concern. "Are you sure that's all?"

She smiled at him "Of course. Don't worry. I just had a little too much fun last night."

Dan got off the elevator at Blair's house and was greeted by gruff looking east-european woman.

"What do you want?" she said in a very thick accent.

"I need to see Blair."

"Who are you?"

Blair came down the stairs in her robe and said, "It's okay, Dorota. Humphrey, what's going on?"

Dan looked at her awkwardly. She always had a way of making him feel inferior. This world that he had been pushed into was something he was not very comfortable with.

"It's Serena. Something's going on with her."

Blair furrowed her brow and said, "Is she okay?"

"She isn't in danger or at least I don't think so. But, she's been acting weird and last night some strange girl brought her to the Palace drunk."

"So, she was drunk. You need to lighten up, Dan."

He shook his head. He needed her help. "No, she could barely walk. I've never seen her like that. I stayed with her all night. She mumbled something about a Catherine. Blair, who is Catherine."

Blair dropped the glass of water she held in her hand. She barely registered the broken glass that lay at her feet. Dan began to panic. If this was Blair's reaction to that name. God knew what this girl was capable of?

"Blair, Blair. Are you okay?" asked Dan.

"I'm fine Humphrey. Let's sit. I need to sit."

He followed her to the small drawing room and took a seat in the chaise near her. This whole place made him feel out of sorts. It was so cold and didn't feel like it was anything that would ever put him at ease.

Blair popped a grape into her mouth and said, "Catherine was Serena's dope body. There's no other way to describe her. They would party together. I never got involved in all of that, but I've had to save S from her clutches more than once. She's bad news."

"Is she really that evil?"

"She's not evil, just really fucked up. She has this bizarre fixation with Serena. But, her cousin Kevin is who we really need to watch out for."

"Kevin?"

"I don't really know that much about him. He's not like us. He's sinister."

"If you're calling him sinister than this guy must be the freakin antichrist."

Blair was not happy. Serena had come so far and now those two crazy idiots were back and ready to cause havoc in her best friend's life. She didn't like Catherine, but Kevin scared the crap out of her.

In an apartment uptown, Kevin and Catherine were plotting the next stage of their plan.

"We've got her right where we want her?" Kevin said.

"The boyfriend's a problem though." Catherine replied.

"Humphrey is an amateur. He's a nobody from Brooklyn. We can handle him."

Kevin looked at the paper beside him. It was a list of names and Serena was at the top of it. There were a bunch of other names crossed off it, but towards the bottom was the name Chuck Bass.

" How much do you think Van Der Ho is going to go for?" asked Catherine.

"They'll coff up atleast a half million for this beauty."

He took out a small vial and placed it on small piece of glass. He used razor blade to make a line. Catherine handed him a rolled up dollar bill and he bent his head and took a hit. He passed it to her and said, "You're turn cous."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Georgina was fun, but I wanted a character I could manipulate a little more. In my fic, A thin line didn't happen. So, CB are still in the flirtation stage. They don't love each other nor do they hate each other. Oh, and nate is nonexistent in my gg world. Oh and I've decided to add a few more chapters than my original intent to the story.

**Chapter 9:**

"Hey, S. It's Catherine. Time to pay up. Meet me at Dunn's Bar on 47th Street at 7."

Serena stared at her cell phone and sighed. She hated the hold that Catherine and Kevin had over her, but she couldn't handle the idea of their revealing what she was really like to those she loved the most. So, she decided to keep them happy by hanging out with them. She'd just avoid partying too hard. All they wanted was for her to hang out with them. Serena wasn't sure why they were so intent on spending time with her, but she wasn't going to fall down that slippery slope again. Dan hadn't asked her any probing questions lately, but she could see it in his eyes. It was almost like he was afraid to bring it up. He had a wall up lately and she hated it. She hated that Catherine and Kevin where getting in the middle of her relationship, but it was better this way than Dan knowing the truth. The last thing she wanted to see was the look of disdain he'd inevitably wear once he knew what she was really like. She opened up her cell and dialled a familiar number. "Hey, B. It's S. What are you up to?"

"Nothing. What are you up to? You still hanging out with the wicked witch of the east?"

"B, she's not that bad."

"That's like saying the plague is just a cold. She's the devil incarnate and you need to stay away from her,"

Serena sucked in a breath. A part of her knew B was right. Catherine was bad news, but she really had no choice in the matter. "Forget about Catherine, wanna hang out?"

"I don't know. Are you gonna bail on me?"

"B, I want you to come out with us. What better way for you to protect me from the evil Catherine than for you to be right there," Serena teased.

Blair was worried about Serena, the fact that she was spending more and more time with Catherine, and less of it with Dan was a bad omen. There was no way she was going to let Serena spend the evening alone with Catherine, but she needed reinforcements. "Fine, I'm there. But, I'm bringing Chuck."

"Now are you trying to torture me? Isn't it bad enough that I live with him?"

"He's coming, S."

Chuck sat on Blair's bed patting the soft satin sheets. He looked over at her playfully. She was still playing coy, but he knew better. She wanted him. "Come here," he demanded.

"Do I look like a show horse to you?"

"No, but you sure no how to ride me" Chuck replied as he patted the space beside him. Blair glared at him. She walked up to him and snapped her fingers. "Focus. Serena is in deep waters here. This bitch is dangerous and it's our job to protect her. I want you to keep an eye on her tonight and try to keep the creepy comments to a minimum."

"Baby, I don't do creep. It's not my fault that I'm so fuckable."

She rolled her eyes and said, "According to whom?"

Chuck got up and strode over to her and whispered, "You" before capturing her lips with his own. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sank into the embrace. Whenever he touched her it was fireworks. It was sparkling desire and heat. She hated how he could make her lose all control with one touch, one taste. He broke the kiss and said, "see even you can't resist me."

"Shut up and move. We've got some work to do."

Chuck bowed his head and followed her to the small restaurant where they were supposed to meet Serena and Catherine. He didn't like the crap that she was getting herself into again. It was only a matter of time before she grew tired of Humphrey, but he thought she had more sense than to be spending time with the skank and her nut job cousin. "So, why exactly are you dragging me along again?" he asked.

"Because I need you to keep an eye on Kevin. They're unnaturally attached to each other. I'm sure he'll be there too."

"Maybe they're kissing cousins?"

Blair hit him on the arm, "That's disgusting. Get your mind out of the gutter."

Chuck merely laughed and was caught off guard when she hooked her arm into his. He raised an eyebrow at her and said, "See, I told you. You can't help it. I'm chuck bass."

"Shut up and keep your eyes peeled, Bass." she said with a slight smile upon her face.

A familiar looking waitress walked up to them and sneered at them. Blair glared at her and then politely smiled, "Van Der Woodsen party of five"

"Follow me. I'll alert you when the rest of your party arrives," said the young woman who Blair noted was a walking cliché. She was typical of waitresses at upscale NY restaurants. They were waifs with far too much make-up and an attitude to boot. She looked at her menu and tossed it aside with disdain. Chuck tried to mask his look of concern, but Blair caught it.

"What?"

"Nothing. Are you sure you don't want to go to the bathroom?"

"What's that supposed to me?"

"Just wondering," he said as he raised his eyebrows.

Blair was about to comment when she noticed Catherine sauntering in with her cousin Kevin. Creepy was the only thing that came to mind when she thought of these two. They were like a disaster waiting to happen. She hated that Serena was spending time with these two again, but above all else she didn't know why they were back in town. Blair was not a fan of mysteries. She preferred her world logical and easy to control. She had enough on her plate with her bizarre pseudo-relationship with Chuck bass. He infuriated her, yet she'd never felt so alive in her entire life. He had this bizarre manner of doting on her. "Hello, Catherine. Kevin," Blair said with a note of disdain.

Chuck merely glared at the pair. He was going to let Blair play the bitch this round. Kevin glared right back at Chuck. This evening was turning out better than even he could imagine; two for the price of one. He was looking forward to putting his plan to action, but the presence of Blair was a definite thorn in his side. He hated the way she looked at him. "Blair, Chuck. Pleasant surprise."

"Serena asked us to all hang out. I'm sure it will be blast."

Catherine smiled across at Chuck and Blair before sending a text.

_Serena,_

_You were supposed to come alone not bring C and B._

_You blew it babe._

_Cath_

Serena was heading towards Butter when her phone beeped. It was Catherine. Her heart nearly stopped. "Shit, Shit, Shit. What am I going to do now?"

She turned around to find Dan standing in front of her. "What's wrong?"

"Dan, um, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. Blair said you were meeting her at Butter and that I should join you."

"I, uh, oh."

Dan gripped her shoulders and pleaded with her. "Talk to me, babe. I wanna know what's going on?"

"I can't. It's too ugly. Too horrid. But, they'll tell you anyway."

He held her face in his hands and looked at her with such gentle concern, "Serena, I love you. Just talk to me. I'll understand. I know that we got off on a rocky start with all that business with Nate, but that was a long time ago. I didn't know you then. I know you now. Nothing you could say would change the way I feel about you."

Serena could feel the tears pouring down her face. She shook her head. The love pouring from him was the courage she needed. How could she continue to lie to him when he was standing there promising love and understanding? He led her by the hand and walked towards the curb. "Come on, talk to me. Sometimes it just helps to get it off your chest."

She took a deep breath, "I don't know where to start. I've been messed up for a long time Dan. It started the night that I hooked up with Nate. I was feeling so low. I went home and I couldn't look at myself. So, I, sort of went on this one-week bender. I did everything. Pills, coke, booze, whatever I could get my hands on. I spent most of that time with this girl Catherine. Catherine, she's the only other person than her cousin Kevin who knows exactly how bad I was. I was a mess, Dan. I didn't want you to know that part of me. I wanted you to know what I wanted to be, but in the end that's who I am."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, "No, you were just messed up. We all mess up. I know I have. I can be a real jerk. But, you can come to me."

"That's not all. There's more."

"I, I, had sex with her. I mean, I don't normally like girls but things got out of hand that night. But, she wouldn't let me be. She kept calling and wanting to hang out and I just wanted her out of my life. A few days later, I was in this bar and these guys told me where I could get some coke and, and" Serena broke down and started crying uncontrollably. Dan held her in his arms and let her cry it out. A part of him wasn't that shocked. He pretty much guessed that she'd slept with Catherine, but he was glad that she had finally just opened up to him. He hated that she felt like he would judge her for who she had been. "Shhh, its okay. I'm here. Its going to be okay."

TO BE CONTINUED….

**FAQ:** Blair and Chuck were heavily featured in this story but they'll be given their own story soon, titled Love Me Fully Redux

Serena's secret is not the same as in the show

Catherine is a bitch, but Kevin is sick


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** In case there was any doubt, Dan is the hero in this story…but for all the CB fans out there...I have a little more for you guys :D

Chapter 10: Speak to me

Serena could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. She clung to him tightly hoping that his nearness would make all the pain and fear dissipate. A part of her was surprised that he was standing here holding her like this. It felt like she'd been holding on to this secret for a good part of her life, but what she'd really been doing was hiding. She was seeking an escape from the feeling of never being good enough. There was still so much that Dan needed to know before she could let him face Catherine. He was determined to go with her.

"Shh, its okay. Let it out, baby. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," he cooed as he gently rocked her. It struck him that this was the second time in less than a year that he stood in the middle of a Manhattan street comforting Serena. For the longest time, she had been his dream girl, but now she was so much more than the girl that he'd admired from a far. He was in love with the real Serena. The girl, who was afraid that she'd never feel love, but gave it freely anyway. He loved the vulnerability and the way she could make his day brighter with a simple smile. He just hated that he made her feel like he wouldn't accept her for who she really was.

Dan lifted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "You know, you can tell me anything. I love you, Serena. There isn't anything that you can say that would change that."

Serena looked up at him and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and smiled shyly at him. She knew that he must feel hurt that she hadn't told him, but it was so hard to explain her actions.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was, um, afraid you'd leave. That you wouldn't want me if you knew the truth. It's not you, but me. I mean look at me. I have such a shady past and you're so good; so noble. Why would you want someone like me if you knew the truth?"

It broke Dan's heart to hear her speak like this. He gripped her by the shoulders and said, "Don't talk like that. Don't you know how wonderful you are? Nobody's perfect. So, you have past. Its not like I didn't know that you partied. We all mess up and my reaction when we first met didn't help, but I've learned a lot since then. Serena you can trust me. Trust that I will love you not for who you think you want me to know, but for who you really are. You're an amazing person. Now, I think I've used up my cheese quota for the day," he replied with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Serena smiled at him and said, "I love you Dan. I know this isn't the best time to say or even like this, but God I just love you." She wrapped her arms about him and started feathering him with kisses. She'd held back from telling him so many things, but now she started to wonder why she'd done it. A part of her still felt like this was all too good to be true, but right now she didn't care. Dan pulled her to him tightly. He had wanted to hear her say those words so badly that it was hard for him to believe that it was actually happening.

"Come on, let's go meet your psycho bitch."

Serena giggled at the way he said that, "that's mean Dan."

"Well, I think it's an apt description for her. Considering what she's trying to do to you."

Meanwhile Chuck and Blair where engaged in a silent face off with the Catherine and her nefarious cousin. Chuck could see right through Catherine; he'd seen her type before. She was your typical nouveau rich girl out for revenge at any cost. But, he it was the cousin that worried him the most. He was not like his cousin. He was not born into money, but he definitely was the sort to enjoy it whenever he got his grimy hands on some. There was something else about him that irked Chuck; something sinister.

He took a sip of his martini and eyed him suspiciously. Blair was too busy cutting Catherine down to size.

"Serena's late. I'm assuming she's gonna show or did she send the two of you to do her dirty work."

"I believe you have the market cornered on dirty," Blair said with more than a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Well, it really is impolite to be this late."

"hmm, somebody's a little impatient. What you couldn't buy any other friends, Cath?"

"It's Catherine."

"I prefer Catherine. Its rather feline if I may say so."

Chuck placed his hand on Blair's arm in a signal to take it slow. They had this unspoken method of communication. He loved her conniving side. It kept things interesting and Chuck bass was a man who detested boredom.

Kevin glared at Chuck. He didn't like the guy and he knew that his cousin was simply a pampered socialite that provided him with the perfect opportunity to make some easy cash. He found the rich to be rather gullible or atleast their parents were. They would do anything to keep scandal at bay. He was sure this latest bit of gossip would send this small incestuous group reeling.

"Really Catherine. You better let S know that the jig is up," Kevin said as he got up.

Serena and Dan entered the restaurant, as he was about to exit.

"You're leaving already and I was looking so forward to meeting the two morons who are blackmailing my girlfriend," Dan muttered.

Chuck raised his glass and said, "Humphrey. Always a pleasure."

"You must be Dan," said Kevin. He didn't like this. He was not supposed to be here. Rich kids were something he understood, but this Humphrey kid was not a part of his plan. He mingled with the rich, but he wasn't one of them. What he'd learnt about him didn't put him at ease. He was depending on Serena not telling him anything, but obviously she'd spilt the beans. He wondered exactly how much she'd told him. He smiled at the young man who had the potential to bring this whole charade down.

Serena glared at Catherine. She had a good two inches on the girl without heels. She couldn't believe that she'd let this stupid girl have so much power over her. "Its over Catherine. I'm done."

"Really Serena, do you really want them to all know the truth."

"It's not going to work. You have nothing on me. Tell them if you want." Serena motioned to Chuck and Blair, "come on let's get out of here."

Chuck dumped a few bills on the table and followed the three of them out the door.

The four them walked along the street in silence. Chuck managed to catch up to Blair and wrapped a possessive arm around her shoulders. "Get off of me,"she muttered.

"You know you love me," he said.

Dan and Serena turned back and laughed. They could both sense that something was brewing between these two. "When do you think she's going to admit to liking him?" Serena asked.

"If she knows what's good for her…never," Dan muttered.

"Ha, I see someone still has some Chuck issues."

He simply shrugged. The last thing that Dan wanted to talk about was Chuck Bass. Granted he wasn't nearly as big of an ass as he had once thought, but that didn't mean that he actually liked the guy. But, he'd really started to like Blair. She was definitely what his father would call a quality gal. He could even tolerate her snarky little barbs because he knew when it came down to it, she had Serena's back and to Dan that was the most important thing. He was just happy that he had his girlfriend back. There were definitely things that they needed to work on, but he felt confident that things were gonna work out.

"I'm going home," Blair said. She glanced pointedly at Chuck and added, "Alone."

"Okay B. Thanks for being there. I love you," Serena said as she enveloped her friend in a hug.

"Take care of yourself S. Remember you can tell me anything," Blair replied before getting in a cab.

Chuck watched the cab carry her away before turning back to the happy couple with a sinister look on his face. He walked between them and wrapped his arms around them and said, "Let's go home."

"I see this is going to be a long ride home," Dan muttered.

"Sorry Humphrey, I'm all about the ladies," Chuck said with a wink.

Later that evening, Dan was sitting on Serena's bed with her wrapped in his arms. They lay there enjoying the comfort of each other's arms. It was like the distance between them had finally closed and they could once again be themselves. Dan was so content and he was in love. He didn't think there could be any greater feeling. Serena turned to face him and realized that holding back the truth was slowly killing her and straining their relationship. It was such a relief just to be happy. She looked into his eyes and rolled on top of him. "You sir have too many clothes on," she said as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

"What if Chuck comes in," Dan asked hesitantly

"I locked the door."

He smiled and deepened the kiss as she removed his shirt. He pulled at the top she was wearing and pulled it upwards. He glided his hands along her abdomen till he reached the edge of her bra. Dan broke the kiss so he could pull her top all the way off. He threw it aside and undid the clasp on her bra. He massaged her left breast with his hand, which made Serena throw her head back from the sensation. He loved the way she reacted to him. He captured her nipple between his teeth and gently nipped at the bud. He licked and nibbled on her breast until her hips were pressing against his own. Dan could feel himself harden as he fondled her other breast. He didn't even want to bother taking the rest of her clothes off. He slipped her skirt up and pulled down her panties. "God, I want you so bad."

"Me too,"she said as she gasped for breath.

Dan took out a condom from his back pocket and quickly tore it open. He watched as Serena unbuckled his belt and slid the zipper of his fly down. She slipped on the condom and positioned herself above him. Dan entered her in one swift motion. She met him thrust for thrust. She left him absolutely breathless. He lost all semblance of control. Before he knew it she had shattered around him both of them were climaxing simultaneously. He pushed the hair from her face and simply held her.

The next morning Chuck Bass walked out of the hotel and into a town car. His father had the limo so he had called for a town car. He got in and instructed the driver to go to the Waldorf residence. Little did he know that Kevin was driving it. He smiled and drove past the address Chuck had given him and headed on to the highway. It took Chuck about ten minutes to realize that the driver was taking him somewhere else.

"Listen, I don't know what curbside they got you from, but I said to go to 10th street," Chuck snarled.

Kevin said nothing, but kept driving. Chuck was starting to get anxious. He hated not being in control. He quickly texted Blair.

_B,_

_I think I need help._

C

"Listen, you idiot. I demand you let me out right now."

Kevin lowered the glass and coldly said, "Bass, this is what you get for getting in my fucking way. So, I suggest you sit down and shut up."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** So this is it, the end.

**Chapter 11: Saving Chuck Bass**

Chuck Bass was fuming. These things did not happen to him. Was this insipid little relation of Catherine's really kidnapping him? He wasn't the sort to be kidnapped; he was after all Chuck Bass. This is the sort of thing that happened to naïve little supermodels or suburban girls who talked to strangers. He wasn't going to let this idiot get away with it. He just needed to come up with a plan. There was a way out of this; he just needed to focus and to come up with something. He pressed the button that releases the window and looked across at the fading Manhattan skyline. He was heading to a place that he had never been to before; He was going to Brooklyn.

"I can't go there. I must stop this idiot," Chuck thought to himself.

He rolled down the divider and said, "Really Kevin this is all so pedestrian. I'm sure we can settle matters in other ways. How much do you want?"

Kevin turned around and glared at him.

"This is about money. I mean it's obvious. You're lacking and I have plenty of it. Was it really necessary to take me hostage? I've got plans and I don't have time for this."

"Don't mess with me Bass."

Chuck laughed out loud. This idiot really thought he was a mastermind yet somehow he hadn't stopped to consider that Chuck still had has cell phone. So, he decided to contact the one person who had the will to do something to help him.

_B,_

_Cousin it has kidnapped me._

_He's taking me to Brooklyn_

_-C_

Blair was picking at some fruit when her cell phone went off for the second time in the last hour. She picked it up and read the text. It was from Chuck. At first she thought he was playing some sort of game with her, but now it was obvious that he was really in danger. Brooklyn? The crazy freak was taking Chuck to Brooklyn. There was no way she could let this happen. Blair put the strawberry back on the plate and called the one person she knew could help her.

"Serena, you need to get over here now and bring cabbage patch with you. We're going to need his help."

"What? What's going on Blair."

"I'll tell you when you guys get here. Make it quick."

Serena looked over at Dan who had been pouring over Serena's essay when Blair called. He saw the concerned look on her face and put the papers down. "What's going on Serena?"

"It's Blair. Apparently she wants us to come over now because she needs our help."

"Our help?"

"Yes, she specifically asked me to bring you. I'm worried Dan. She sounded scared."

Dan wrapped his arms around Serena and whispered, "It's going to be fine. We'll do whatever we can to help Blair."

Meanwhile Blair was pacing in the salon of her house. She needed them to get there so that she could figure out a way to help Chuck. The sooner they got here the sooner they could help him. Chuck may grate on her nerves, but she needed him and that was something that she was loath to admit to anyone. He'd become such a figure in her life in the past few months that she couldn't stand the idea of him being hurt. The mere thought of it had her digging her nails into her flesh. He had this air about him that just drew her to him, but he also aggravated her. She refused to give her heart to anyone like she had given it to Nate, but that didn't change the fact that somehow Chuck had wheedled his way in there. So, much so that she was willing to hurt Catherine and her lame cousin for doing this to him.

"Serena is here, Miss Blair," Dorota said.

"Thank you Dorota. Is she alone?" Blair asked.

"No, she brought him," she said with an air of disgust.

Blair smiled and sat on the ottoman attempting to pick at her food again.

"Finally, it took you two long enough."

"You called us 15 minutes ago,"Dan replied.

"That was 15 minutes too long," Blair replied.

Serena rolled her eyes as Blair and Dan engaged in their usual verbal warfare. "Stop it guys. Blair, what's going on? What was so urgent that you wanted me to bring Dan? He's not exactly your favourite person."

"Kevin has Chuck."

"What?"asked Dan.

"He kidnapped Chuck and he's taking him to Brooklyn and I need your help."

"You do realize that Brooklyn is still part of the city? Its not like he took him to some backwoods."

"Might as well have,"muttered Blair.

"So, how exactly am I supposed to help? And what makes you think I want to help Chuck Bass. There's not exactly a lot of love lost between us."

Blair glared at Dan. She didn't know what she was thinking asking for his help. Serena touched his arm and looked up at him and said, "Come on Dan. You need to let go of all of that stuff. Chuck needs our help. Kevin is sick and even Chuck doesn't deserve this."

Dan sighed and said, "Fine, but Brooklyn is a big place. We need to grill that nasty cousin of his first."

"I like the way your head works cabbage patch. Maybe you'll be useful after all," Blair said.

"Its Dan. Stop calling me cabbage patch."

Dan, Serena, and Blair knocked on Catherine's hotel door. Catherine was a mess. Her hair was all over the place and Serena noticed the left over remnants of coke on the coffee table. This girl was just coming down from what was evidently a pretty nasty high.

"well, isn't this a surprise?"she said.

Dan looked at her in wonder. She was a ridiculous mess. How could Serena befriend this person? What was it about her that drew Serena to her? It baffled him that the girl he loved would ever have anything to do with a person like this. At this juncture, he had trouble believing he was helping Chuck Bass, but no one deserved to be put in harms way and especially not by someone as pathetic as Catherine and her sleazy cousin. He knew he'd have to coax information out of her. "We need some information," Dan asked gently.

"Information? I thought Serena told you everything? Still keeping secrets I see, S."

"What are you talking about, Catherine?" Dan asked.

Serena was beginning to feel like the walls were closing in on her. She'd told Dan as much she thought he needed to know. The last thing she wanted was for both B and Dan to know why she had really left. But, this bitch was out to ruin her life at any cost. She looked over at Blair who was seething. She was quickly losing control. The affection she felt for Chuck Bass had grown immensely in the past few months. She'd always seen him as amusing, but it was obvious to anyone that knew Blair that she was beginning to care for him.

"Where the hell is he you stupid bitch," Blair demanded as she pushed her against the wall. She was so worried about Chuck. Her heart nearly stopped when she got those series of texts. Their were a lot of ways to describe her relationship with Chuck, but one thing was for sure, he meant something to her and Blair would do anything for the people she cared for.

"Kindly let go of my neck, B. Aggression is unbecoming," Catherine said.

"Tell me where you took Chuck! Don't think you're going to get away with this. I'll ruin you in a way only I can."

Blair slowly let her go, but she kept circling her like a bloodhound. Catherine tossed her hair and said, " I have no idea where he is, but even I didn't think Kevin would take things this far."

Dan stood back and watched her as Blair hovered over her, but she wasn't budging. He had once considered Blair to be as evil as they came but he was beginning to realize that the Blair was nothing compared to this girl.

"Oh aren't the two of you sweet. So, you told him. I'm impressed with you. The fact that Blair is even speaking to you after everything you did.

Blair turned to Serena with a wild look in her eyes. "What is she talking about?"

"You mean you haven't told your BFF the real reason you went away," Catherine said.

Serena gripped Dan's arm harder and tried not to let Catherine get the best of her. He looked down at her and knew that Serena had failed to tell him the truth again. "We'll talk about this later," he whispered to her.

"Just shut up and sit down," Dan said in a low voice. His voice was eerily still has he walked up to her and shoved her into a chair. Serena watched him in shock as he manhandled Catherine and hovered above her. It was frightening. This was not the Dan she knew.

"Dan stop. This not you. You're hurting her."

"No, Serena I'm not hurting her. She was hurting you."

Dan tugged on Catherine's long her and said, "Now, you can make this easy on yourself or you can just tell us what we need to know."

"Dan, what are you doing? She isn't worth it," Serena screamed.

Blair held on to Serena's arm and said, "No, if this is what it takes to save Chuck than we have to do it."

"But, but. What is he going to do to her?"

"Shh, Dan's not a killer. He's just gonna tease her a little. I never thought cabbage patch had it in him, but I think he's the only one that can really help us."

Blair and Serena stood back as Dan whispered in Catherine's ear, "You think you're so smart. But, you're not. You're just a spoiled little rich girl that gets off on using people. Well, no one uses the people I love." Dan motioned for Blair to come over. "I need some scissors. Find me some."

Blair smiled mischievously at him and said, "I know exactly where to get a pair."

Serena walked up to Dan and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dan doesn't do this. This isn't you. Don't destroy your future over her."

"I'm not going to destroy anything, Serena. Relax. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

Blair walked up to Dan and handed him a pair of scissors she had found in the bathroom. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He bent over Catherine and wave the scissors in front of her face. "Now what will it be? A bob? A pixie cut? You choose."

Dan could see the muscles in her face tightening which was sign that his plan was working. The only way to get to girls like this was through their vanity. "Then again, I could use it for a more sinister purpose. Now, are you going to tell us where he took Chuck or do I have to play plastic surgeon?"

"I don't know where he took him exactly, but if he said Brooklyn. He's at that damn junkyard he's so obsessed with."

Chuck found himself strapped to a chair in the middle of two large heaps of scrap metal. He'd attempted to fight with Kevin when the limo finally came to a stop, but he had two thugs waiting to help him. Chuck had struggled, but found himself overpowered by the brute force of the two large men who were obviously friends of Kevin's. He was going to kill Serena for getting him dragged into this mess when all was said and done. One of the guys had tied his arms behind the chair and his legs had been tied together.

"Really this is so unnecessary gentleman. Just name your price and I'll take care of it," Chuck said.

He needed to talk these idiots out of helping Kevin. Catherine's demented cousin was obviously no longer interested in money. He seemed to get a kick out of doing this kind of thing and Chuck had no idea how to deal with a mind more messed up than his own.

"You in the brown cap. What's your price? A grand? 5 grand? Have you even seen more than a couple of hundred dollars in your life? Think about a dream vacation with the girl of your dreams."

"You need to shutup,"Kevin said as he made his way towards Chuck. "Tape his mouth shut, Joe."

Chuck was fuming. He had never felt this helpless in his life. "Where the hell is B," he thought to himself.

An hour later, Chuck was still sitting in the chair trying to think of a plan to get himself out of this. He had tried moving the chair around so he could somehow break free, but that hadn't worked so far. The two thugs had managed to fall asleep. Chuck was starting to feel sleepy himself. He was so tired that it took him a few minutes to recognize the scantily clad blond headed his way. She was with a petite brunette who was dressed just like her. Chuck could hardly believe it. It was Blair and Serena and they looked Poor.

Serena was smacking some gum and sauntered over to the guy named Joe. "Hey, can you help me? I'm looking for Kevin. He promised us a car."

"Yeah, we wanna car,"said Blair in a faux Brooklyn accent.

"Sure, follow me. Let me show you our designs. Hey Dave. Come on lets show the ladies those designs."

"Oh yeah the designs,"the other guys said sarcastically.

Chuck couldn't believe that they were putting themselves at risk like this for him. God knew what those guys had planned for them. Before his mind could think of what to do now that he was all alone he saw Dan headed towards him. Dan untied his wrists and then Chuck ripped of the tape that was across his mouth. "What are you doing here, Humphrey?"

"Saving your useless ass."

"There's a car waiting for you down the street. I'm gonna go get the girls," Dan said.

"I'm coming with you," Chuck said.

"I've got it under control."

"I'm not going to let those useless thugs hurt Blair," Chuck said vehemently.

Dan looked at him with a sense of understanding and the two of them made their way to the trailer that served as an office for the junkyard superviser.

"I'm gonna go in. Wait here, Chuck."

"Fine," Chuck said reluctantly.

Dan opened the door and saw that Serena and Blair standing over the two guys who looked like they had been knocked unconscious. "What did you do?" Dan asked.

Blair and Serena lifted up two stun guns and said, "Sometimes a girl needs a back-up plan."

"Come on girls. Let's get out of here before that sicko returns."

When they got out of the trailor, Blair ran right into Chuck's arms and said, "don't you ever scare me like that again."

Chuck just smiled and held Blair to him tightly.

Late that day, Dan and Serena were in his room. He held her tightly to him as he tried to find the right words to ask her what Catherine had been eluding to. "Hey, Serena. What was Catherine talking about this morning?"

Serena sighed and said, "Well you know what happened between Nate and I."

"Yes."

"Well, I left about month later because I found out that I was pregnant,"Serena said as she hung her head.

Dan lifted her head up and looked her in the eyes, "Hey, its okay. Shh. Don't cry."

"Let me finish Dan. I, I, had an abortion. Afterwards, I was too ashamed to come back until I found out about Eric. God, I was such a mess."

"Hey, we all have a past. We all do things that we're not so proud of. That doesn't make us bad. I mean look at how I handled this Catherine stuff. You were right that wasn't me, but she just made me so crazed that I no longer had a sense of what was right or wrong."

"I'm glad you did it."

"Next time just tell me. It will save us both a big headache. We need to just be honest with each other."

"I guess I was just afraid of what you would think of me," Serena said.

"There's nothing you could say or do that would make me love you any less, Serena."


End file.
